When Darkness Falls
by FlakJacket
Summary: Voldemort brings the world to its knees, and Dumbledore is dead in the fight. Now only Harry, Hermione, Remus, and Snape can stop him in a world where evil rules and terror reigns. **FINISHED** Reviews plz!
1. When Darkness Falls

When Darkness Falls  
  
Harry shivered in the cold alley and slumped to the ground, leaning back against the wall. He pulled his cloak tighter around him, but he still felt cold on the inside. He shut his eyes, thinking about what had happened six months ago.  
  
***  
  
"Run Harry! Run!" shouted Dumbledore. Harry looked in every direction to discover that Death Eaters had circled them, Voldemort aiming his wand at Dumbledore. "I can't!" shouted Harry, "There's no where left to run to!" Dumbledore glanced around to see the Death Eaters, "Severus! Take the boy and leave!" "I will not leave you Albus!" cried Snape, pulling out his own wand. "Me either!" said Harry, aiming his own at the south flank of Death Eaters. "Do as I said! As your Headmaster, I command both of you to leave!" roared Dumbledore. The circle grew tighter and soon the three of them had their backs pressed against each other. "Go! I will defend the school! You must leave to protect everyone else! Do it now!" Dumbledore cried. Harry felt a cold hand grab his forearm and he looked up just in time to see Snape, "Aparecium!" he snarled quickly.  
  
A minute later, they were in Diagon Alley. Wizards and witches were running about, trying to figure out what was going on. "Where are you going?" asked Harry when he saw Snape leaving. "Back to the school, and stay here." Without a second glance, he had Apparated again. Harry looked around and finally ran into Madam Malkin's shop to find wizards holed up inside, most of them injured from the all-out war between the Death Eaters and the Aurors. Harry ran to Madam Malkin, "Have you seen Ron Weasley or Hermione Granger?!" he said frantically. Malkin shook her head, "I haven't been taking names. I did see a Weasley a while back though; I believe it was the older brother, Charlie. I can't help you, dear. I'm sorry." Harry ran into the fray in Diagon Alley, shouting Ron's name, hoping for a friend.  
  
A hand clasped him on the back from behind; it was Percy. "Percy! Have you seen Ron?!" cried Harry, "Or Hermione?! Are they all right?!" Percy looked away, and in the dim light, it was clear there were tears in his eyes. "Ron's dead, Harry. I found him at the end of Knockturn Alley." He let out half a choked back cry as he continued on down the street, and Harry felt tears burning in the back of his eyes. He did, however, let out a sigh of relief when he saw a familiar brunette in the Alley, shouting his name, "Hermione!" he cried, running to her. They hugged happily, "Have you seen Ron?" asked Hermione frantically. Harry shut his eyes and looked away; "Oh no..." sobbed Hermione. "Percy's just told me," said Harry, "there was nothing we could have done." Hermione hugged him again, "Oh Harry..." she sobbed, "why is this happening?!" 'All because of Voldemort,' he thought silently, 'it's all because of Voldemort.'  
  
Suddenly someone Apparated next to them and fell in a heap on the street, "Snape!" cried Harry, bending over to help him up. "What happened at the school?" he asked as he and Hermione picked him up; it looked like he'd been hit with the Cruciatus Curse. The strangely sad look in his black eyes said enough for Harry, "Dumbledore's dead, isn't he?" he said quietly. Snape nodded, and Hermione began to wrack with sobs as they pulled him aside into Ollivander's old shop. He was racing to catch his breath as they sat him in the only chair left in the whole place, "What happened?" asked Harry. Snape looked so beaten and sad at the moment that Harry almost didn't want to ask, but he had to know. "Dumbledore..." began Snape, "...died defending his school. He and Voldemort...he hit him with Avada Kedavra. I tried to stop him, but I was too late...I was too late..."  
  
Hermione burst into all-out tears, and Harry looked out the window into the street, "That's it, then. We're doomed. Dumbledore was it. Voldemort has control over Hogwarts." He looked back at Snape, who looked paler than Harry had ever seen him, as well as sad and empty. Hermione slumped down against the wall next to Snape, crying and crying. Harry wanted to comfort her, but he felt too dead at the moment; if only someone would try to cheer her up...  
  
Strangely enough, someone did; Snape reached over and put an arm around her shoulders, and Hermione turned to him and began to cry into his chest. At that moment, Mr. Ollivander came over, "If you're only temporarily injured, I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave. We have many more injured coming in that need that chair." Snape nodded and stood, his body still clearly in pain from Cruciatus. The three walked out into the street, Hermione still clinging to Snape like a frightened child, but for once, Snape didn't seem to care. Harry looked around intensely, and saw all the terrified looks on the faces of so many he knew; Voldemort had struck the final blow. Hogwarts was his. Now that he had taken it down, he could have anything in the world.  
  
For the first time in his life, Harry looked up at the sky and screamed.  
  
***  
  
Snape sat in the tiny, dark, smoky inn, seated at a table in a dimly lit corner. Of course his mind was always on what had happened six months ago; once again, he was all alone. He drank his butterbeer in silence; it was strange to be on the flip side of the coin. Usually he was pretending to be a Death Eater for Voldemort, spying for Dumbledore... Now, however, Dumbledore was dead, all because of him. And now he was hiding in little hellholes like this, not because he was fighting for evil, but good. He let out a heavy sigh and put his head down on the table, the cold wood pressing against him. Just then the door opened and Harry Potter came in; he asked Tom the bartender, the same Tom who had once owned the Leaky Cauldron, for a drink, then sat down at his table. "What?" said Snape, his voice muffled in the table wood. "It's nice to see you again too," said Harry, drinking quietly. "In case you hadn't noticed Potter, these times aren't exactly ones comprised of pleasantries," replied Snape, head still pressing against the table.  
  
Harry put down his drink, "I can't stop thinking about what happened," he said finally. "Join the club," said Snape. Harry suddenly had an idea, and quickly kicked the underside of the table, sending Snape practically jumping into the air. "What the hell is the matter with you Potter?!" Snape growled irritably when the table bucked beneath his head. Harry laughed out loud, "When you taught me, I used to forget you were human." He pointed to Snape's forehead, "But that proves you're human." Snape rubbed his head, "What?" Harry leaned forward, "You've got a big red mark on your head from where you were laying it on the table." Snape grimaced and rubbed his head even harder, then gave up. It was around then that he noticed Harry looked just a little bit...tipsy. "What're you drinking Potter?" he asked, noticing it didn't look anything like butterbeer. Harry shrugged, "My usual."  
  
"Tom!" said Snape, "What's his usual?" he asked, pointing at Harry. Tom let out a low whistle, "Some strong stuff, I'll tell you that." Snape let out a heavy sigh, "Drinking, Potter? How old are you again?" "Twenty-two this past July," said Harry confidently, although his speech slurred slightly. Snape shook his head, "Come on, let's go," he said, standing up and pulling Harry to his feet. Harry stumbled slightly, "Where are we going?" he asked, downing the rest of his drink as Snape yanked him out of the old tavern. "Outside," said Snape, dragging a stumbling Harry out the door.  
  
Five minutes later, Harry was drenched in cold water; Snape had kindly deposited his head in the water barrel around the back of the inn. "What was that for?" roared Harry, slapping him away. "You're drunk Potter," said Snape flatly. "And? What of it?" said Harry, "I'm trying to forget all the stuff that happened, is that so bad?" "It is when you're using alcohol to do it," said Snape, folding his arms across his chest as he watched Harry try to swagger away. Harry turned around, "I'm sorry, but I'd rather drink than be a...a..." Harry gestured wildly about, "...a sour old git who keeps his emotions hidden! Yes! I do not want to be a gour sold it! I mean, a sour old git!" Snape rolled his eyes, "You are such a reckless fool. If it weren't for the fact that Dumbledore made me promise to look after you I'd have ditched you long ago." "Ha! Ha!" shouted Harry, "If only...if only Dumbledore were here now." Harry began to swagger toward the inn again, "I need to go to sleep." Snape followed silently, and Harry stumbled his way up the stairs to his room. The door slammed shut, and a minute later he heard snoring. Snape rolled his eyes again and walked down the hall to his own room, next to Harry's.  
  
Snape shut the door behind him quietly, and sat down on his bed. His head throbbed irritably and he rubbed his aching skull; why did this have to happen? He was left all by himself, the only Hogwarts professor. Sane, living one at least. If only Minerva was still alive...he couldn't possibly shoulder all this by himself for much longer. At least Granger had taken some of it away; but she had been gone for days, and he was beginning to wonder where she had disappeared to. He put his head in his hands, when suddenly there was a knock at his door. He peered around the door slowly, opening it only a crack, to see the exact person he'd been thinking about.  
  
He let her in quickly, "Where the hell have you been?" he hissed harshly, "I thought you were dead." "Not yet, thankfully," said Hermione. "I was just off to Germany, making some contacts. We've got a strong movement out there that I didn't even know about." "Who's the head of the movement out there?" said Snape, sitting back down on his bed; Hermione crossed the room and sat down in a chair by the grimy window. She cleared her throat and smiled at Snape curtly, "Neville Longbottom." Snape let out a resounding groan, "Longbottom? Of all people..." he snickered, "did you have to hold his hand the whole time to make sure he didn't screw up? Like you used to in Potions?" Hermione took a deep breath, "No, because this time he didn't have a sniveling, bitter old git harping over his every move." Snape fell silent for a minute, then finally spoke, "Touché." Hermione sighed, then got up to leave, "Just remember; you started it. I had to finish it."  
  
The door shut quietly and Hermione was gone.  
  
Snape lay down on his bed and turned off the lights; he could hear the pattering of rain on the window, but his thoughts were elsewhere. He was thinking about what Hermione had said.  
  
He hated being wrong.  
  
***  
  
The following morning the first person of the trio to get up was, strangely enough, Harry, who had an amazing hangover, but managed to make his way downstairs for breakfast. A few minutes later Snape came down and only gave him a nasty look, then settled in to eat breakfast. Hermione came down ten minutes later, still yawning and stretching. "So what did you do last night Harry?" she asked. He grinned at Snape, who rolled his eyes and ignored him, "I slept the whole night," said Harry innocently. Hermione frowned, "Somehow, I suspect otherwise. Anyway, Neville is coming up here to visit so we can talk about...things," she said, careful to involve any words like "Destroying Voldemort." Although many anti-Voldemort wizards and witches considered this tavern safe, one could never be too careful. Hermione wasn't about to get caught talking about killing Voldemort, even amongst this crowd.  
  
Snape shuddered, "And when will we be graced with a visit from Longbottom?" Hermione shrugged, "Sometime this evening I suppose. And I'm sure he'd appreciate it if you wouldn't leer at him so much as you did at Hogwarts," she added. "Don't say Hogwarts so loud," grumbled Harry. Hermione sighed wistfully, "I'd forgotten. Sorry." Since Voldemort had taken over, Hogwarts had become a school for the Dark Arts. Few people wished to think of such monstrosities as turning the school into such a foul machination of Voldemort. Snape stood then, "I have to go. I expect I'll probably find that idiot Longbottom here when I get back, but I have nowhere else to stay at. And I'll try to stop leering at him, just because you asked," he said sarcastically to Hermione as he left. Hermione sighed half-heartedly as the door slammed shut behind him. "It's at times like these where I'm reminded of my relatives," she said finally.  
  
"Relatives?" said Harry curiously. Hermione nodded, "Relatives. My relatives, particularly a few cousins of mine, were annoying beyond belief, but I still loved them because they were family." Harry picked at his food morosely, "And why would you think about family at a time like this?" Hermione smiled, "Because Snape is one of those no-nonsense insensitive and conceited gits. But I still have a soft spot for him because he's looked after us for so long; and of course, all that he's done to help us. You should feel the same way," she said, pointing at him. "He's been particularly nice to you, although he may not act like it." "It's only because Dumbledore swore him to watch out for me," said Harry, "he wouldn't be so nice, otherwise." Hermione looked thoughtful for a minute, "I don't know about that Harry. Everything changed six months ago, and now this is a completely different situation that we're in. We're not at Hogwarts anymore, and we're not students. We're just...people. You're still James's son, but I think he has it easier enduring you now that all this has happened." Harry shrugged, "Maybe you're right."  
  
***  
  
Snape stood at the edge of what had once been Diagon Alley; it was now called Serpent Alley, since Voldemort's favorite animal was the snake. Snape kept himself hidden in a corner, his cloak pulled around his face carefully; Death Eaters were all over the place, and they would know the traitor when they saw him. He quickly pulled out his wand, 'Time for a disguise,' he said mentally. "Versio Rehadria!" he whispered quietly. Although he didn't have a mirror, he knew he looked much different. He went quickly to the different stores, particularly the Apothecary; he needed more potion supplies, as well as some new quills and parchment from Flourish and Blotts. Or at least, what had been Flourish and Blotts; now it was Crabbe and Goyle's. As he went from store to store he was rather pleased that no one had figured out who he really was; he managed to catch himself in a mirror in the Apothecary; he looked quite different. However, he did arouse some suspicion from Crabbe while in his store, "You are a Death Eater, aren't you?" said Crabbe slowly. Snape smiled at him and pulled back the left sleeve of his robe to reveal his Dark Mark, still there on his arm. He winked at Crabbe who smiled and nodded, "Just checking. For obvious reasons, we don't sell to anyone else."  
  
'Obvious reasons indeed,' thought Snape as he left the store. Anyone without the Mark could forget about going to either Serpent or Knockturn Alley; they'd be dead in five minutes if they were caught. He spent the day wandering the Alleys, getting supplies when he felt the urge to buy them. But a lot of his time was spent thinking; mostly thinking about how much the world had changed. Of course, that could be seen here in the Alleys just by looking at them. He never really thought of Diagon Alley much when it had still existed; it was just an Alley to get his supplies from. But now he wished had hadn't taken all the shops and people for granted; now that it was all gone, now that all the good had vanished from the Alleys, he wished he could have had just one more minute to look around the Alleys when they were normal. Instead they were mere shadows of what they had been; run-down hellholes for wizards of the evil sort to conspire in.  
  
He wondered for a moment what the other Hogwarts professors would say if they were here now; naturally, most of them were dead in the fight against Voldemort. A few, however, had the unfortunate chance to be left alive; Cruciatus or Imperius had driven most of them mad, and they were in St. Mungo's. St. Mungo's...one of the few places hardly touched after Voldemort had taken over. After all, he needed somewhere to keep his insane victims...  
  
Snape shook his head hard; thinking about that sort of thing was no good right now. He looked up at the magical clock at the junction of the two Alleys; it was five o'clock. He tucked a few parcels in his robes, then stood erect, "Aparecium!"  
  
***  
  
"Neville!" said Hermione happily, hugging her old friend. "Hello Hermione," said the full-grown man, "hello Harry," he said, shaking hands with him. "Sit down, tell us about what you've been up to," said Hermione, gesturing to the table there in the tavern. Neville shrugged and leaned forward, "We've got quite the movement in Germany, outside the Black Forest. We've also got some people in a small town in Bavaria. It's called Kitzengen; no one suspects anything about either town." Hermione nodded, "Excellent. Can you give us any names of contacts or people that might be useful?" Just then, however, a man sat down at their table. Hermione and Harry exchanged glances, "Can we help you?" said Hermione. She didn't recognize the stranger at all, "Oh, well, if it isn't Longbottom," sneered the man nastily. Neville looked at him uncertainly, "Do I know you?"  
  
He stared back at the three of them, "What's with you today?" Hermione tried to be polite, "I'm sorry, but we really don't know who you are." Harry, however, picked up on the deep, sarcastic voice, "Professor Snape?" "Of course it is you stupid boy! Who else would it be? Have you all gone blind?" he snapped irritably. Hermione seemed to pick up on what had happened, "No, but apparently you have," she said, pulling out a small pocket mirror. He looked in it to see himself still with his Disguising Spell on, "Oh. That," he said in an ill tone. He left the table for a moment and disappeared into the bathroom; a minute later, the old Professor Snape sat down at the table. "I believe you owe everyone here an apology for your rude behavior," said Hermione. "Sorry," he said sarcastically. 'Sorry you couldn't figure that out sooner,' said the one half of his mind.  
  
"Anyway," said Harry, turning back to Neville, "do you have names of anyone who could help us?" "Yes," said Neville, "a few,"; he pulled out a small sheet of parchment and handed it to Hermione, "the names are all backwards, in case you couldn't tell," he added. "We're still working on an encrypted system that only we can read; most of us are too scared that these lists will fall into the wrong hands. So far we've only done them backwards." Hermione nodded, "Good idea." "I don't think so," said Snape. "And why not?" said Harry demandingly. "Because the Death Eaters used to do that when Voldemort was still coming to power, that's why. Of course, none of you would know about that considering you weren't even born when that was going on. If I had control of the situation, I'd make you write it all in Ancient Runes." "But we don't know how to read Ancient Runes," replied Neville. "Then learn!" snapped Snape, "Do what it takes."  
  
His response seemed to affect Neville, "You're right, I suppose," said Neville finally. "It's a hard system to learn, and few people can read it, but...it'd be worth the effort." "I can help translate," said Hermione, "I took Ancient Runes for a few years in college as well as a year at Hogwarts." "And perhaps Professor Snape can help us?" said Neville questioningly. Snape soured at the thought of having to work with Neville, but still gave an answer, "I can read Ancient Runes. I'll...help you." "You make it sound as if it were painful," said Neville. 'It might be for me,' thought Snape with a scowl. "Anyway," said Neville, "I've got to go. There's a portkey back to Berlin in an hour; I've got to be there to catch it. It was nice seeing all of you again. Even you, Professor Snape." Snape simply shook his head and looked away from Neville. Hermione and Harry saw Neville off, then they both began going over the list of names.  
  
"I suppose you're rather displeased that Neville isn't scared of you anymore," said Hermione without looking at Snape, still reading the names. When there was no response, both of them looked up at Snape, waiting for a retort. "Actually, I'm quite glad that he isn't scared of me. If he had been, I would have said that our movement has no hope with someone like him leading it."  
  
***  
  
A few weeks passed, and not much happened in the Underground. Or at least, that's what it had been dubbed as by many in the anti-Voldemort movement. One evening, however, Hermione and Harry were working at one of the tables when Snape walked into the room. He was far later than usual; "Where have you been?" asked Harry. "We have problems," said Snape, sitting down at the table. Harry and Hermione noticed the slightly worried expression on his face, "What happened?" asked Harry. "I was having a talk with one of our Death Eater contacts, and he said there's going to be a ball tomorrow night. You know what that means." Hermione swallowed, "They're going to kill more Muggles tomorrow." "Exactly, but our contact happens to know where it will be. He couldn't give me specifics, but he designated somewhere in London." "Somewhere in London..." snorted Harry, "that could be anywhere." "Would you rather have no idea at all?" asked Hermione indignantly. Harry shrugged, "I suppose not."  
  
"Well then," said Hermione, turning back to Snape, "what are we supposed to do?"  
  
***  
  
The entire street was quiet. Hermione and Harry were waiting in the bar on the left side of the street; Snape was in the building opposite of them. Aurors were posted in random buildings, dotting the street. Now all they had to do was wait. Hermione stared out the window in silence, her face hidden beneath her black cloak. It was then that, almost as sudden as a breeze, a band of Death Eaters appeared in the middle of the street, all of them holding a portkey.  
  
All hell broke loose as they began firing on the Muggle buildings that the Aurors had cleared out only moments before. They immediately ran out and began fighting with the Death Eaters, who quickly realized there were no Muggles to be found. Aurors using Freezing Charms or other methods took them down one by one. The rest that could still defend themselves fled instead, Apparating to an unknown location. Ten minutes later, no Death Eater stirred on the street; only the Aurors were left. Harry let out a sigh of relief and put his hood down, "Good thing we managed to pinpoint the location," he said.  
  
Just then, however, one of the other Aurors, and none other than their long-time school friend Seamus Finnigan, came running up to Harry, "We've got problems, Harry. It looks like this was a diversion. There was a big attack on the south side of London. Twenty-three Muggles were killed." Harry blanched, then looked at Hermione; her jaw had dropped, "Did they catch anyone?" Seamus shook his head, "Not that I heard. They got off Scot-free. I'm sorry." He hurried off to tell the others, while Harry and Hermione were left without an idea of what to do.  
  
They stood in silence for a minute, thinking about all the people that had died. Hermione sat down on the ground, put her head in her hands, and wept silently. Harry sat down beside her, trying to think of what to do next. 'No matter what you do, they will always outthink you,' said the nasty little voice in his head. 'No they won't. We'll get them somehow,' said the other half. He was still in deep thought when he realized someone was standing next to him; he looked up to see Snape glaring down at him. "Get up," he snapped. Harry looked back down at the ground, "No. I'm trying to think." "Thinking can be done while standing up," he said, pulling both him and Hermione to their feet. "I've just found something quite interesting," he said, pulling out a sheet of parchment. "What's that?" asked Harry. He handed the parchment to him.  
  
You are cordially invited to a ball at the Malfoy Estate.  
Please bring any friends or family as you see fit.  
7:00 sharp  
  
"I found it on one of the Death Eaters," said Snape as Harry read, Hermione peeking over his shoulder at the parchment. "That's great," said Harry, "now we know where it'll be at. We still can't get them though. We're not strong enough to go waltzing in there." Snape gave him a strange smile, which made Harry shift uncomfortably, "What?"  
  
*** 


	2. Infiltrating the Enemy

"I can't believe I'm doing this," Harry muttered irritably as the carriage drove on quickly. "Stop your whining," said Snape, "all you've done since I told you about this is whine." "Ohhhh, I'm sorry," said Harry sarcastically, "but my idea of a perfect evening does not typically involve going straight into the lion's den, and of all things, pretending to be a Death Eater!" Hermione shook her head as they argued, "Would both of you shut up?!" she said finally. Harry pulled back the sleeve of his left forearm, "And this!" he said angrily, "Wearing this foul thing makes me feel like complete slime! Even if it is a fake!" he said, staring down at his fake Dark Mark. "Harry!" said Hermione angrily, jerking her head slightly at Snape. Harry put his sleeve back, "I'm sorry. I forgot..." He often forgot that Snape had once been a Death Eater, much less the fact that he had the horrible Mark on his own arm, and that his was permanent.  
  
Snape ignored both of them and simply stared out the carriage window; 'If only mine were temporary,' he thought wistfully, 'instead I'm stuck with this thing forever embedded in my skin.' Involuntarily, he grasped his forearm, 'If I could I'd rip it off.' "We're almost there," he said, after a few minutes, "time for your Charms." They pulled out their wands and placed Disguising Charms on themselves quickly.  
  
The three dispersed from the carriage as soon as they arrived, but waited at the entrance to the Estate. "Where is he..." said Hermione. Just then, someone Apparated right in front of them; they didn't recognize him, but he said the right phrase, "Six of one, half dozen of the other." Hermione let out a sigh of relief, "Thank goodness it's you, Remus." 'Damn werewolf,' Snape thought involuntarily as they began trudging up the path to the Estate. "And thank goodness it's you, Hermione," said Lupin, "I thought I'd come upon a group of complete strangers. Would have been strange to say something like that to someone I don't know." "Quiet," hissed Snape, "we're almost to their door." A house elf was taking invitations as well as numbers for how many were entering with each invitation. "Invitation?" asked the small elf without looking up. Snape handed him the invitation, hoping he wouldn't ask too many questions. "How many?"  
  
"Four."  
  
"Why so many?"  
  
"This is a friend of mine," he said, gesturing to Lupin, "and this is my younger brother and his wife," he said, nodding at Harry and Hermione. "You do, of course, have the Mark?" asked the elf. Snape pulled back his sleeve, "Good. Enjoy your evening." Mentally, all four of them sighed, although the real testing was about to begin.  
  
A servant showed them the way to the large ballroom the Malfoys possessed, and Hermione felt her knees grow weak, "I don't know if I can do this," she muttered to Harry, grasping his arm slightly. "Of course you can," he said, then leaned in close to her, "you're a Gryffindor." Snape overheard his remark, "But you're a Slytherin for the night; remember that."  
  
The four of them happened to enter just in time, as Lucius Malfoy was making a speech to his fellow Death Eaters. Snape and Lupin hung at the back of the room while Harry and Hermione went forward into the bustle as planned.  
  
"I am quite pleased to see so many faithful followers of our Lord Voldemort here tonight," said Lucius, "I only wish the Dark Lord himself could be here to see such a wondrous gathering. Alas, he is busy at the moment and cannot be trifled, even if it is amongst his loyal followers." Lucius gave the crowd a smile that Harry and Hermione found sickening. "And so, before we begin the ball after a tremendous day's work of killing Muggles," said Lucius, raising a wine glass, "let us toast to our lord and master, Voldemort." Everyone raised their glasses while Harry looked back at Snape with a look on his face that said, 'Please don't ask me to do this.' Snape returned his look with his own unique expression modeling the words, 'Tough. Endure it.' Luckily no one noticed Harry and Hermione lacking in their toast, and in the meantime Harry took the moment to glance around at the attending people. He recognized only a few, such as Crabbe and Goyle, but then he spotted someone quite familiar.  
  
Draco Malfoy.  
  
He was standing off to his father's side, more toward the crowd, with a very intense, proud look on his face. "And of course, there is one special announcement I'd like to make," said Lucius after sipping from his glass; he turned to Draco. "As most of you know, I am retiring from the position of assistant and Head Death Eater. Therefore, I'd like to announce my successor. My son, Draco, will officially be taking over as Head Death Eater." Draco stepped up to the podium next to Lucius and they hugged briefly, and Harry heard Lucius say, "This is the proudest day of my life." Harry's stomach churned with fear, and Hermione was practically shaking at his side. "And now," said Lucius, an almost teary look in his eye, "let the festivities begin!"  
  
Instantly a waltz struck up from the orchestra seated to the far right; Harry and Hermione both noticed that it was a Muggle orchestra. "Probably abducted while they were practicing," muttered Harry. Hermione nodded and swallowed, then looked back at the door where Snape and Lupin had been, "They're gone," she whispered. "Good," said Harry, "hopefully no one noticed."  
  
***  
  
Snape and Lupin slipped away quietly and went unnoticed by anyone else. "You do know your way around here, right?" said Lupin as he followed Snape. "Of course I do," said Snape, "I've had the misfortune of having to make several visits to this mansion years ago." Lupin nodded and said nothing more; after a few minutes of wandering through long passages and halls in the gigantic mansion, Snape suddenly came to a halt. "Here we are," he said, opening the door quietly.  
  
***  
  
Hermione and Harry were seated on the side of the large ballroom floor, nursing two separate glasses of funny tasting punch. "I think it's spiked," said Hermione, refusing to take another swallow of the foul-tasting stuff. Harry nodded, "Yeah, not the time to be drinking." A few waltzes played through, and Harry and Hermione went by unnoticed. "Do you think they're almost finished by now?" asked Hermione. Harry shrugged, "Can't be sure." They were about to get up and go investigate when Draco appeared out of nowhere and smiled a greasy smile at both of them. "I don't believe we've met," said Draco, "you two are?" Harry hastily tried to conjure up a name, but luckily he was interrupted by another Death Eater who came running up to Draco and whispered something in his ear. "Ah, I see," said Draco, a slightly elated look on his face; he turned back to Harry and Hermione, "it appears that there's been another attack on some Muggles. Part of our Death Eater movement in America." Harry tried to look interested without being sick, "Really? Where at?" "New York," said Draco casually.  
  
"So," he said, clearing his throat and changing the subject, "what schools did you two attend?" "I went to Durmstrang," said Harry, turning to look at Hermione. "I went to Hogwarts for the first few years, then to Beauxbatons as an exchange student. I was a Slytherin, of course," said Hermione. "A Slytherin? Really?" said Draco, "I can't remember ever seeing you there before, and I was in Slytherin all seven years of my education. My father wanted me to go to Durmstrang, of course, as I'm sure you know why." Hermione gave him a fake smile, "Well, I was very quiet when I was there. You probably saw me all the time but never really knew me." 'Saw me in Gryffindor all the time is more like it,' thought Hermione nastily, 'and always picked on me because I was a "Mudblood."' Draco smiled at her in a sickening way, "Who was your favorite teacher at Hogwarts?" At this Hermione gave a true smile, "Professor Snape."  
  
Draco's smile immediately dropped, "That traitor...dishonored the lot of us by turning to Dumbledore. If only we'd known it sooner, we might have tortured him with Cruciatus and then killed him." Now he looked at Hermione in a different light, but she responded quickly. "Of course, would have had it that way as well, but I didn't know about him back then. I left at the beginning of my fourth year so I hardly had time enough to know him that well." "Indeed," said Draco, "well, if you'll excuse me, I need to go to my father's office to attend to some business." Harry and Hermione were glad to see him ago until they realized where he was going, "He can't go in there!" hissed Harry, "He'll find Snape and Remus in there, going through his stuff!"  
  
Immediately Hermione ran after Draco, desperate to stall for time, "Can we at least have a dance together?" she said. Draco smiled greasily once again, "Of course."  
  
Harry headed toward the door, waiting for the first sign of Snape or Lupin. He hated having to watch Hermione dance with such a malodorous git, but they had no choice; they needed time. Hermione, however, put on a good show of pretending to enjoy the entire waltz, which was, of all things, Strauss's Blue Danube. Harry was growing worried as time grew short, however, and glanced down the hall often. Still, no one came. Finally, the waltz ended, and Draco smiled at her curtly then left, passing Harry right by, who could do nothing but hope and wait.  
  
***  
  
"There's got to be something..." said Snape, rifling through some of Lucius's papers. "Still no one coming," said Lupin, who was the lookout there at the door. "Aha!" said Snape suddenly, "A list of names," he said with a triumphant grin. Suddenly Lupin's face paled, "We've got to Apparate out of here, Snape. Draco is coming down the hall." Snape grinned as he Replicated the paper using a spell, then replaced it. "No problem. Aparecium!" he said, but nothing happened. His blood froze, "Uh-oh." "What do you mean uh-oh?!" said Lupin, "Aparecium!" But he didn't Apparate; "Oh God, they have an Apparating spell on the house," said Lupin frantically.  
  
They both looked around for somewhere to hide, and saw only a closet that would fit but one person in it. "Get in there Lupin," said Snape, shoving him into it, "I'll handle this." "You'll just botch everything up," said Lupin angrily as he tried to shove him into the closet. "I used to be a Death Eater, Lupin, now get in there! I can handle this!" "Please, Snape, you always go about this the wrong way!" said Lupin. Suddenly his face drained of all color, and Snape looked over his shoulder to see Draco standing in the room.  
  
"Well, well, well," said Draco with a pleased expression on his face, "this is a surprise."  
  
***  
  
Harry and Hermione stood by the door, edgy expressions on their faces. The evening was growing late, and still there was no sign from either Lupin or Snape. Harry tapped his foot nervously but tried to appear happy so no one would ask them questions; luckily only Lucius had said hello to them on his way to his office; suddenly Hermione grabbed his arm, "Look." Lupin and Snape were coming down the hall, and they were giving both of them looks that said, 'Go to the carriage. We don't have any more time.' The four of them hightailed it out of the ball without a second glance from anyone else; within minutes, they were safely on their way to the old inn. Harry let out a sigh of relief, "We'd been wondering what happened to you." "You'd never believe it," said Remus, "Draco is one of us." Harry's jaw dropped, "What?!" Snape nodded, "It's true. Malfoy said he was really on our side this whole time." Hermione smiled, "Well he certainly put on a good show! This whole time I thought he really did hate Muggles!"  
  
She and Harry both spoke their counter spells, "Finite Incantatem!" and their Disguising Charms disappeared. "Hey, aren't you guys going to take off your Charms?" asked Harry when neither Lupin nor Snape moved. They both looked at each other and grinned, then spoke, "Finite Incantatem!" Harry and Hermione were shocked beyond belief when their Disguises disappeared to reveal neither the real Snape or Lupin.  
  
It was Draco and Lucius Malfoy.  
  
***  
  
The four of them were lying on the floor, bound up at the wrists and ankles. They were seated in the order of Remus, Hermione, Snape, and Harry, and at the moment, the four were alone in the room. "I can't believe this," said Hermione, squirming in her bonds. "Don't bother, they'll tighten if you pull on them," said Snape in a drawling tone. "What's going to happen to us?" said Harry, sweat dripping down his forehead. "Lucius said he was going to get Voldemort," said Remus blandly. "He's been wanting to see me for a very long time," said Snape quietly. Harry shot a look at Snape, "You don't mean...?" Snape nodded, "I'll probably be dead within the next hour. After he's finished torturing me, at least." Harry swallowed hard, "Remus..." "There's nothing we can do to help him," said Lupin, leaning his head back against the cold stone wall. "We're in enough trouble on our terms as it is," he added.  
  
He craned his head at Snape slightly, "Just because I'd like to set the record straight, I'm sorry about all the stuff we put you through in school. We just wanted to have fun; you know how it is." Snape turned his head to look at him slightly, and let out a long sigh, "It's all right. Now that I'm about ready to die, I guess it's time to forgive and forget." Hermione, who was seated in between them both, put her head down in her hands, wishing to be somewhere, anywhere else. The three of them could hear her weeping, and Harry wished he could do something to make her feel better. Snape nudged her slightly, "Don't worry Granger. It'll be quick." That just made her weep even more, and Snape regretted his words. "You won't feel much, I promise," he said, hoping to make it better. "Forget it Professor, you're just making it worse," said Harry.  
  
"It's not me that I'm worried about," said Hermione suddenly, her voice strained and tight, "I'm worried about you three, and especially you," she said, nodding at Snape. "Me? Why me?" he said. "Because..." she sniffed, "...because you've been so much of a help. And you've looked after Harry and I, and you taught us at school, and we owe you so much but now there's nothing that we can do. Instead, we're all lying here on a dungeon floor, about ready to be tortured and killed by the evilest person on the planet. This is no way to die..." she sobbed. For a moment, none of them spoke, thinking about their own fates. Then, Lupin looked over at Snape to see a smile on his face. Not a sarcastic smile, nor a mean smile either. It looked like a true smile.  
  
"What're you so happy about?" said Lupin. Harry looked over at Snape to see the same bizarre smile, 'There isn't much to smile about when you're going to die,' thought Harry. Snape nudged Hermione slightly with his knee, and she looked up at him, her face quite red and teary. "That's the first time I've ever been appreciated for something," said Snape. Lupin's jaw dropped slightly, "My God. The last few minutes of life and somehow, of all people, he learns gratitude." Snape ignored Lupin and stared down at Hermione, who could only look back at him in amazement. "Ever?" she said quietly. He nodded, "Ever, much less by an ex-student." Hermione sat up and leaned against the wall, "We never know what we have until it's gone."  
  
Suddenly they heard footsteps from the hall outside, and two people were talking outside the door. Hermione turned to each of the three men and gave them kisses on their cheeks, "I'm sorry," she said to each of them. She sat back and waited for whatever was to come. Harry gave Snape a look that said, 'Sorry for all the guff in the classroom.' He figured that Snape would say something like 'Sorry' or 'It's all right,' and waited expectantly. Instead, he got a rather odd remark, "If you think I'm gonna kiss you like Hermione did, you've got another thing coming."  
  
Maybe it was the seriousness of the situation, or that it was the moment before their deaths, but the four of them suddenly burst out laughing. The remark wasn't entirely that funny, but they were practically in tears. It was almost strange to see Snape laugh, and the other three were glad he did. Just then, however, the door swung open, and there he stood.  
  
Voldemort.  
  
***  
  
Harry's scar surged with pain as Voldemort spoke, "What could be so funny right before four people are about to die?" said the monstrosity. None of them spoke, and Voldemort turned to Snape, "As for you, my traitorous little Death Eater," he said with an evil grin, "I've been waiting for this for a long time." Hermione let out a choked cry and began to sob again, and even Lupin himself had a watery look on his face. Harry tried to keep his breathing even as Voldemort's wand swung in Snape's direction. "Wingardium Leviosa!" Voldemort snarled nastily. 'Why isn't he using the Unforgivable Curses?' thought all three at once. Their answer came seconds later; Voldemort hurled him into the opposing stone wall without mercy, and Snape fell to the ground in a heap. Voldemort snapped his fingers and his bonds disappeared, although that didn't seem to be much of a help for Snape as he was still groaning in pain on the floor.  
  
"To think, all the times you managed to trick me into believing I could trust you," said Voldemort, making a tsk-tsk noise slightly. "Well, I guess you'll just have to pay for it. Crucio!" Harry shut his eyes and looked away, but he was unable to keep the screaming out. His blood roiled in his veins, and his hatred for Voldemort surged while his scar stung violently with pain. He could feel his face getting hotter and hotter, and Harry found himself on the breaking point. Suddenly his bonds snapped off, and Harry opened his eyes to see that he was completely free. Hermione gasped, "Harry...how did you do that?" He quickly pulled out his wand, "I must have gotten so angry I busted them." Voldemort had his back to the three of them, torturing Snape without mercy, and it gave Harry the cover he needed. "Gimme your hands, quick, let's go," said Harry. He cut off Lupin's and Hermione's rope bonds with a simple Cutting Spell, and they each pulled out their wands.  
  
Voldemort suddenly released Snape from the Cruciatus Curse and began to talk again, but Snape's attention wasn't on Voldemort. He was staring as Harry, Lupin, and Hermione got to their feet and each aimed their wands at Voldemort's back. "Look at me when I talk to you, you fool!" shouted Voldemort angrily. Snape gave him a weak smile, then pointed behind him. Voldemort spun around, "How did you...?" he cried. Harry grinned as he, Hermione, and Lupin uttered the same two words.  
  
"AVADA KEDAVRA!"  
  
Voldemort let out one final scream and his red eyes glowed madly as the curse hit him, green light flooding the room. His body fell to the floor, and silence reigned. "We did it," said Hermione slowly, "we...we....we...killed him." Harry and Lupin, however, were already running to Snape, helping him to his feet. He winced in pain as he stood, "Nice job," he said finally. "A rare thing," said Lupin, as the four of them began to walk out of the room. "What's that?" asked Snape with a grunt. "A complement from you," said Lupin. Harry and Hermione both suppressed smiles, then Harry came to a halt in the middle of the passageway up from the Malfoy dungeon. "Wait a minute," said Harry, "how are we supposed to get out of here alive with a hundred Death Eaters up there in the ballroom?"  
  
For a moment, they stood in complete silence. "Why can't we just Apparate out of here?" said Hermione. "Because they have an Apparating Spell on the house," said Snape. "Well we can't exactly go waltzing through there without expecting to be caught," said Harry. They stood in the cold stone passageway for another minute, trying to think of what to do. Just then, a mysterious smile appeared on Snape's face. "Why is it that I don't like that look on your face?" said Harry, his eyes becoming slits of wonder. "What do you have in mind, Severus?" said Lupin. "I need a container with a lid on it," he said simply. Hermione and Harry gave him a strange look, "Why?" asked Hermione. "Ask questions later," said Snape as Lupin began to pull something out of the pockets of his robes.  
  
"I can transfigure a sheet of parchment into a container," said Lupin with a shrug. "Do it then, and hurry it up," said Snape. Lupin quickly transfigured the parchment into a small plastic container with a lid, "Here." Snape grinned, "Thanks," and pulled out his wand. "What're you doing?" asked Hermione. "Succio Vacumria!" Snape said, casting the spell on the container. Suddenly Lupin began laughing hysterically, "That's a great idea." "What's a great idea? Tell us!" said Harry. He laughed a bit more, than turned to Harry and Hermione, "He's putting a Suction Spell on the container." Harry shrugged, "I don't get it. Wait a minute. You don't mean that's he's actually going to..."  
  
But Snape was already heading up the stairs, a look of almost glee on his face. The three immediately ran after him, following him through the twisting passageways until they reached the ground floor where the ball was being held. Lucius and Draco Malfoy were both standing by the door, chatting with a few of their friends, when they spotted the four. Lucius and Draco immediately whipped out their wands, but they were too late. Snape ripped the lid off the container.  
  
It was as if a hurricane had erupted inside the room, and a whirlwind was spinning everyone about. Everyone but Snape, Lupin, Harry, and Hermione, that was. One by one, all the Death Eaters were sucked into the container, screaming in protest as they were each pulled inside. The curtains lining the inside of the room fluttered angrily in the storm of wind while tables and chairs fell over from the power surging from the spell. Finally, the last Death Eater soared into the container, and the lid flew shut, snapped on quite tightly. The room was eerily silent after the absence of wind and storm, but the remaining four were too ingratiated to notice. "Good work, Severus," said Lupin.  
  
The four of them were leaving the building when Harry suddenly stopped and stood still in the chilly night air. It was actually cooler than expected, and their breaths shown in the night air. "What're you doing?" asked Hermione when stopped. He looked up at the night sky, a velvety blackness dotted with stars, "I was just enjoying the view," he said calmly. Hermione gave him a strange look, then smiled, "Well, it is Voldemort-free."  
  
Six months later...  
  
"...And so, I hereby reopen this school as it once was. Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry!" said the Minister of Magic. The crowd cheered as their children dashed up to the school, eager to start. Harry, who had been watching from inside Hogwarts, turned to the almost empty classroom. He, Lupin, and Hermione had been watching from his new Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Lupin would teach Potions, and Hermione was teaching Charms. Sirius Black had also been asked to teach at Hogwarts as the Transfiguration professor, which Harry was glad about. As for Severus Snape, however, he was currently outside, taking his proper place in the reopening ceremony.  
  
As the Headmaster of Hogwarts.  
  
~Finis~ 


End file.
